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THERE is good news for local businesses thinking about entering the Trade, Industry and Manufacturing category of next year's Daily Examiner Clarence Valley Business Excellence Awards.

Benny's Grafton Smash Repairs won't be contesting it.

Nathan Benn and his team won the category for the third consecutive year on Saturday night, and earned themselves a place in the Awards Hall of Fame.

The catch to that achievement, however, is that the Hall of Fames rules state that after winning three times in a row, a business is ineligible to enter that category the following year.

While there is now hope for some of Benny's rivals in the Trade, Industry and Manufacturing area, the news might not be so good for those in other categories.

Speaking after being inducted into the Hall of Fame, Nathan said it would be a relief not having to top his own efforts in the category he has dominated in recent years, but that he would look to see if there is another category to take on.

Not prepared to rest on his laurels, Nathan has expanded his business in the past 12 months, taking on new staff and Grafton's Thrifty Car Rental agency.

It is all part of his commitment to growing and modernising the business started more than 20 years ago by his father, Graham.

That modernisation saw the business named Clarence Valley Business of the Year in 2016, a year in which it take even more steps towards the future, although that proved to be not always a straightforward process.

"We had hoped when we upgraded our software last year that it would meet all the needs of the insurance industry but, sadly, it did not,” Nathan wrote in his awards submission.

"Therefore, at considerable cost, we installed a completely new system. We now have full interface with all insurance companies and the ability to expand this as others come on board.

"We have implemented lots of changes and embraced new innovations which will assist the company in going forward with our ideals of sustained growth.”